History

Meals on Wheels was originally started in England by the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service during the Second World War. By the 1960’s, Meals on Wheels programs were opening across North America and the organization is now recognized internationally. In the fall of 1965 St. Christopher House initiated the first Meals on Wheels program in Toronto. Today there are 22 Meals on Wheels Agencies in the Greater Toronto Area, providing services to meet all types of dietary requirements.

After extensive planning and consultation with other churches in the area, along with the Department of Health, Yorkminster Baptist Church delivered its first Meals on Wheels meal in February 1966. In the years following, many churches from the North Toronto area became involved, taking on responsibility for the meal deliveries on different days of the week. This tradition continues to the present. Among the churches that have been actively involved over the years are: Calvin Presbyterian, Glenview Presbyterian, Christ Church Deer Park, Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Eglinton St. George’s United, St. Clements’s Anglican, Timothy Eaton Memorial,Deer Park United and the Church of theTransfiguration. This commitment made by the above churches to provide volunteers is still in effect. As time went on, many members of the community at large also joined the ranks of volunteers

As the client base continued to grow, it became apparent that the administration of the Meals on Wheels program was too much for volunteers. Government funding was applied for in order to hire a coordinator to streamline and integrate the entire program. Yorkminster Park Meals on Wheels was incorporated and registered in 1983 with funding from the Ministry of Community and Social Services Long Term Care Division and Metropolitan Toronto Community Services.

We are proud to say that 50 years later, Yorkminster Park Meals on Wheels continues to grow and thrive, delivering both hot and frozen meals to the North Toronto Area.